Competitions

Contestants in November 4, 2024 competition: 
Anna O’Neill, Austin Becksvoort, Dr. Richard Rotman (founder), Samuel Shuler, Caitlyn Brown

ANNAMAE  ROTMAN  YOUNG  ORGANIST  COMPETITION
October 20, 2025

About

The Annamae Rotman Young Organist Competition was founded in 2013 by Dr. Richard Rotman in honor of his mother and is an annual competition. We thank him for his generous support of young organists.

 Required selections:

  • Baroque style – J. S. Bach or another Baroque composer (can include the Eight Preludes and Fugues – Bach/Krebs), Trio Sonatas, and/or Chorale Preludes. One work or any combination of two works by Baroque composers for a minimum of 7 minutes.
  • A contrasting work(s) of the competitor’s choice – Examples are Brahms, Duprè, Widor, Franck, Hindemith, or others from the 19th, 20th, or 21st century eras for a minimum of 7 minutes.
  • 4 stanzas of “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty” per the pdf as found here: PDF of hymn

 Performance Time: 

20 minutes maximum for all selections, hymn, and console preparation; memorization is not required and will not influence the judges’ decisions.

 2025-2026 Competition Venue

Calvin Church
700 Ethel Ave. SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49506

Organ specs: Aeolian-Skinner Opus 1302

Application:

Application due by September 20, 2025.

  • Application must be accompanied by a $50 entry fee, submitted here: https://paypal.me/gragocompetitions?country.x=US&locale.x=en_US
  • The first three contestants that submit complete applications including all the attachments will be eligible to compete. All other applicants will be put on a waiting list for this year’s competition.

Eligibility

A competitor must be 24 years of age or under as of August 1 of the competition year and be a resident of Kent County, MI or any county adjacent to Kent County and/or a resident student attending a junior high school, senior high school, college, or university in Kent County or any county adjacent to Kent County (Ottawa, Muskegon, Newaygo, Montcalm, Ionia, Barry, or Allegan Counties)

Awards

  • 1st place: $1,500
  • 2nd place: $1,000
  • 3rd place: $500

Practice Details

Each competitor will be assigned practice times and memory levels with the competition coordinators. Each competitor will receive equal practice time. Competitors should not use the competition instrument regularly and should practice alone. A minimum of three hours practice time will be allowed.

Judges

Three judges will be paid for their services plus a travel allowance. The judges may be local but may not be nor have been a teacher of any of the competitors.

ANNAMAE ROTMAN YOUNG ORGANIST COMPETITION APPLICATION

Questions? Contact Rebecca Snippe (rdh9@calvin.edu)